Vickie's Research Corner

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Welcome to Vickie’s Research Corner. Spring is here and just like the flowers blooming so are our new group of Evidence-Based Practice Clinical Experts. In 2005-2006, nurses here at St. Joseph Hospital were interviewed and reported that when a clinical question arises they go to nurses at the highest level of the clinical ladder- Clinical Nurse III/IVs. Dr. Dana Rutledge then reviewed education for Clin III/IVs here at SJH and determined that the majority have had not had training in evidence-based practice (EBP). This then raises the question; if staff are asking Clin III/IVs questions could they (Clin III/IVs) be empowered to appropriately use and facilitate others to use EBP, then is it more likely that EBP is enhanced, are nurses more likely to seek evidence beyond that known by their peers?
Dr. Rutledge, with Katie Skelton’s approval and support, designed a two year study to answer these very questions. Starting in May, 2008, Clin III/IVs were encouraged to apply for a seat in the Clinical Nurse Experts in EBP curriculum. Eleven applicants were selected (via blind peer review). Starting in July they attended a four day didactic class (24 hours) extending over a two week period on multiple aspects of EBP, research, and literature search using library resources. During the course of their training they were asked to fill out questionnaires periodically, attend Nursing Research Council meetings, and attend quarterly meetings to discuss goals and projects. At the end of the two years, Dr. Rutledge will analyze the data she has collected and see if this format for increasing EBP to the bedside is working. This is such an exciting project! We are now currently in the process of getting ready for the second group to attend classes starting in July.
Now I would like to introduce you to two of our Clinical Nurse Experts- Christine Marshall and Wendy Escobedo and discuss their experience in this role:
Christine Marshall has been an RN at SJH for 14 years. She currently works in the Emergency Room as a Clin IV. She became a Clin III when the project was started and has since advanced to a Clin IV. She became interested in becoming a Clinical Nurse Expert when she realized Dana Rutledge would teach the class. She was very inspired by her and thought that having her as a teacher at some point in her life would be so much fun. Since she already had an MSN learning more about EBP made sense. For Christine the class taught her the power of EBP for teaching. She has also learned that this role has gained her the title of facilitator for projects within her own unit. Recently she performed an entire literature search on jaundice products for some colleagues and was the expert for the evidence!
Our second Expert is Wendy Escobedo. Wendy currently works as the Inpatient Care Coordinator for the kidney transplant program; she has been at SJH for 7 years, started here as a new graduate, and has been a Clin IV for 1 year. She decided to become a Clinical Nurse Expert because she wanted to make sure that what she was teaching to nurses and patients was EBP based. For Wendy, this class has really changed her practice. She has performed literature searches, developed teaching protocols, and standards of practice, and just sent in a manuscript for review. For Wendy her main goal as an Expert is to empower nurses to ask questions related to EBP and promote practice change as well as make sure her patients are more educated.
Both Clinical Experts are very interested in performing more research and both have ideas for the future. They both feel this class pushed them more into the world of EBP with a better understanding. Each feels that this class gave them the tools to both effectively and confidently teach both patients and nurses as well as empower nurses to ask that most important question- are we making the right choices and are those choices evidence-based in nursing?